Veritas: Learning the Truth
by The Artful Dodger
Summary: When a man, older than ever Dumpledore, comes to tell Harry what he is, a rivalry centuries old in awoken
1. Dragons and a mystic history

I don't own anything except the plot line of the story. Please review!!!! Tell me if I should continue with it or not! Well have fun reading the story that wouldn't leave my mind alone.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Aramis smirked from his perch in the tree. They would never find him; they had only come this far because of a mistake he had made. One, which would never come to happen again. Snapping his tail in annoyance he stared down at the blundering humans. He could easily kill them, and with pleasure he would do it, but then the mortals would send someone who could track him. Besides, he would rather not have the taste of human blood upon his tongue.  
  
"I command you to reveal yourself, Aramis!" A voice rang though out the forest and cut deep into the heart of the black dragon. It was Porthos, why had he sides with them? Porthos had raised him, taught him what was good and what was bad! Should he no know what Aramis was actually capable of? It appeared at if alliances change as quickly as the weather did.  
  
"I am not a possession to be commanded about as you see fit, Porthos!" Aramis snarled as he landed lightly on the ground. In front of him were five highly armored guards and on regally dressed young man. Porthos stepped forward but was cut off by a wall of flame, complements of Aramis.  
  
"I have come to restrain you from you savage killings! What is wrong wit you?! Have you not been taught what is right and wrong? What did those people ever do to you? Aramis I was foolish to think I could raise a dragon to be good." Porthos said with a distressed voice and sad eyes downcast. Aramis laid his ears back and a thrum filled the air, but soon stopped.  
  
"Aramis, I am sorry but it's either this or your death, and no matter what you did, I don't want you dead." Aramis cocked his head and was about to speak but suddenly he felt a changing in his body. Aramis found himself soon the size of the rest of the humans, he no longer felt as if he had the grace of his former self.  
  
"What did you do?" were the only words that came from his mouth, and they were so depressing that Porthos for a moment regretted doing what he had just done.  
  
"You are a human; you retain all your old abilities except for the fact the dragon is gone. The dragon can return but only after one thousand years, and upon that day they will have both forms." With that said Porthos along with all of the others left the dragon to contemplate his newly found fate. He looked up one last time to see his former friend's red head disappearing into the forest.  
  
"I will have my revenge in this life or the next, it appears as if you not remember that dragons live forever and I will regain my form again." Aramis said in a low growl, then turned and walked in the other direction. He came up on a stream and looked down at himself in the still crystal waters. He was tall, he could tell he could top any of the King's guards, long silky black hair fell to his chin and his eyes were a Phire green. Muscles covered him and gave him the look of a human warrior.  
  
Dumpledore frowned as a knock interrupted his musings on the new advances by Voldermort. He yelled for them to enter and what entered both confused him and intrigued him. Behind the head mistress was a man very closely resembling the Potter line. But that was impossible because all of the Potter's were dead except for Harry.  
  
"How may I be of service to you, sir?" Dumpledore asked the man who stood looking around. Fawks let out a warning trill dragons and phoenix are not the best of allies. But how was Dumpledore to know that?  
  
"I have come to learn of the whereabouts of my family. I believe they chose the surname Potter." The man gave Dumpledore a look that told him he was not to be messed with. The man before Dumpledore looked to be about 25 and with the tied back black hair and unusual green eyes he reminded Dumpledore of Sirius Black.  
  
"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you unless you give me some proof that you are a Potter." Dumpledore didn't believe this man but he decided not to let the man know that. The man growled showing two very razor sharp canines. But what Dumpledore knew of Vampires, he knew that this man was not one. "I fear that the proof I can give you is not the kind you are looking for. Do you perhaps have a book written around a thousand years ago? I imagine that it would tell of a dragon being transformed to the small human, by a man named Porthos." The man said then stopped for a minute, "the dragon name would have been Aramis." Dumpledore frowned, he was very familiar with that story and in fact he had the book in his desk at the moment.  
  
"Yes I am familiar with that story..." Dumpledore began but the man cut him off.  
  
"Enough of this, I have not traveled this far for some old musing of a man not even half my age!" the man snarled, "Let me see the book!" Dumpledore frowned but brought out the book anyway and handed it over to the man. As he flipped though the book Dumpledore began to reach out tendrils to read this man mind. But the moment he was near it, a force pulled him in, so strong it was that he could not even fight back.  
  
"Well now, you can have your proof." The man said and Dumpledore found himself experiencing everything that Aramis had, for this was Aramis.  
  
About an hour later, Dumpledore found he had control of himself once again. All he could do, he found, was stare at the man sitting still reading from the book. All of a sudden he let out a laugh and showed Dumpledore the page.  
  
"That fool actually though I killed that whole village, I was protecting it. No matter now, he is dead but his family lives on." Aramis said and closed the book, "Did you find your proof?" His green eyes tore into Dumbledore's soul.  
  
"Yes, and I am sorry about your past, but I still don't see what this has to do with you family." Dumpledore said slowly.  
  
"Any of my living relatives will begin to change and if they do not know about what they truly are it will bring mass confusion. Not something very pleasant." Aramis shook his head in pain; even now he could feel the dragon returning.  
  
"I must tell you of the Potter line first. They have only had one child and it has always been a male. Now that leaves the only living member of the Potter line to be Harry. He's turning 17 tomorrow and going to finish his last year here. He's quiet small in stature. As of now he is living with his Aunt and Uncle in Surry. Here is the address." Dumpledore scribbled the address down and handed the slip of parchment to Aramis.  
  
"I will have him returned here, to Hogwarts, on September 1st." 


	2. Changing

Aramis smirked from his perch in the tree. They would never find him; they had only come this far because of a mistake he had made. One, which would never come to happen again. Snapping his tail in annoyance he stared down at the blundering humans. He could easily kill them, and with pleasure he would do it, but then the mortals would send someone who could track him. Besides, he would rather not have the taste of human blood upon his tongue.  
  
"I command you to reveal yourself, Aramis!" A voice rang though out the forest and cut deep into the heart of the black dragon. It was Porthos, why had he sides with them? Porthos had raised him, taught him what was good and what was bad! Should he no know what Aramis was actually capable of? It appeared at if alliances change as quickly as the weather did.  
  
"I am not a possession to be commanded about as you see fit, Porthos!" Aramis snarled as he landed lightly on the ground. In front of him were five highly armored guards and on regally dressed young man. Porthos stepped forward but was cut off by a wall of flame, complements of Aramis.  
  
"I have come to restrain you from you savage killings! What is wrong wit you?! Have you not been taught what is right and wrong? What did those people ever do to you? Aramis I was foolish to think I could raise a dragon to be good." Porthos said with a distressed voice and sad eyes downcast. Aramis laid his ears back and a thrum filled the air, but soon stopped.  
  
"Aramis, I am sorry but it's either this or your death, and no matter what you did, I don't want you dead." Aramis cocked his head and was about to speak but suddenly he felt a changing in his body. Aramis found himself soon the size of the rest of the humans, he no longer felt as if he had the grace of his former self.  
  
"What did you do?" were the only words that came from his mouth, and they were so depressing that Porthos for a moment regretted doing what he had just done.  
  
"You are a human; you retain all your old abilities except for the fact the dragon is gone. The dragon can return but only after one thousand years, and upon that day they will have both forms." With that said Porthos along with all of the others left the dragon to contemplate his newly found fate. He looked up one last time to see his former friend's red head disappearing into the forest.  
  
"I will have my revenge in this life or the next, it appears as if you not remember that dragons live forever and I will regain my form again." Aramis said in a low growl, then turned and walked in the other direction. He came up on a stream and looked down at himself in the still crystal waters. He was tall, he could tell he could top any of the King's guards, long silky black hair fell to his chin and his eyes were a Phire green. Muscles covered him and gave him the look of a human warrior.  
  
Dumpledore frowned as a knock interrupted his musings on the new advances by Voldermort. He yelled for them to enter and what entered both confused him and intrigued him. Behind the head mistress was a man very closely resembling the Potter line. But that was impossible because all of the Potter's were dead except for Harry.  
  
"How may I be of service to you, sir?" Dumpledore asked the man who stood looking around. Fawks let out a warning trill dragons and phoenix are not the best of allies. But how was Dumpledore to know that?  
  
"I have come to learn of the whereabouts of my family. I believe they chose the surname Potter." The man gave Dumpledore a look that told him he was not to be messed with. The man before Dumpledore looked to be about 25 and with the tied back black hair and unusual green eyes he reminded Dumpledore of Sirius Black.  
  
"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you unless you give me some proof that you are a Potter." Dumpledore didn't believe this man but he decided not to let the man know that. The man growled showing two very razor sharp canines. But what Dumpledore knew of Vampires, he knew that this man was not one. "I fear that the proof I can give you is not the kind you are looking for. Do you perhaps have a book written around a thousand years ago? I imagine that it would tell of a dragon being transformed to the small human, by a man named Porthos." The man said then stopped for a minute, "the dragon name would have been Aramis." Dumpledore frowned, he was very familiar with that story and in fact he had the book in his desk at the moment.  
  
"Yes I am familiar with that story..." Dumpledore began but the man cut him off.  
  
"Enough of this, I have not traveled this far for some old musing of a man not even half my age!" the man snarled, "Let me see the book!" Dumpledore frowned but brought out the book anyway and handed it over to the man. As he flipped though the book Dumpledore began to reach out tendrils to read this man mind. But the moment he was near it, a force pulled him in, so strong it was that he could not even fight back.  
  
"Well now, you can have your proof." The man said and Dumpledore found himself experiencing everything that Aramis had, for this was Aramis.  
  
About an hour later, Dumpledore found he had control of himself once again. All he could do, he found, was stare at the man sitting still reading from the book. All of a sudden he let out a laugh and showed Dumpledore the page.  
  
"That fool actually though I killed that whole village, I was protecting it. No matter now, he is dead but his family lives on." Aramis said and closed the book, "Did you find your proof?" His green eyes tore into Dumbledore's soul.  
  
"Yes, and I am sorry about your past, but I still don't see what this has to do with you family." Dumpledore said slowly.  
  
"Any of my living relatives will begin to change and if they do not know about what they truly are it will bring mass confusion. Not something very pleasant." Aramis shook his head in pain; even now he could feel the dragon returning.  
  
"I must tell you of the Potter line first. They have only had one child and it has always been a male. Now that leaves the only living member of the Potter line to be Harry. He's turning 17 tomorrow and going to finish his last year here. He's quiet small in stature. As of now he is living with his Aunt and Uncle in Surry. Here is the address." Dumpledore scribbled the address down and handed the slip of parchment to Aramis.  
  
"I will have him returned here, to Hogwarts, on September 1st."  
  
Aramis took a slow breath and crouched down, not wanting the large human to see him. He had to struggle to keep from cringing at the largeness of the boy, with a growl he stood and the boy looked as if he had nearly wet himself.  
  
"I am here to talk to a mister Harold Potter. Show me to him." Aramis ordered the boy who shook like a bowl full of pig marrow. It made Aramis cringe, if one of him children lived here what must they appear as?  
  
"Oooookay... please follow... he's inside." The pig-child waddled off and Aramis followed him with excitement flowing through his mind to see his last living relative.  
  
"Dudley, who is that with you?" a feminine voice called out. She poked her head around the corner to the hallway where Aramis and Dudley were standing.  
  
"He's here to see Harry." Was all the fat one said before walking further into the house. The woman sneered and called to a man named Vernon.  
  
"He's in the basement, he did something to himself and I felt it safer if he was restrained. You can go down and see him if you like." Vernon pointed to the door that Aramis could smell the feint hint of blood seeping through the door. The dragon in him yearned for it but the sensible side told him something was amiss.  
  
Walking down the wooden steps Aramis saw boxes and an old washer and dryer shoved up against the opposite wall. On it sat a small lean boy, his head was downcast and he seemed saddened.  
  
"Are you Harry?" He asked when the boy had finally noticed him.  
  
"Yea, and who are you?" Harry's voice was weak and it cracked in pain.  
  
"I'm here to take you home." Was all Aramis said before a glow filled the room, panic began to rise in the back of Aramis' mind, "No! Not now... it can't happen here!" Aramis lunged at Harry and suddenly the both of them were in a forest.  
  
"What did you do?" Harry asked listlessly with a small glance at his surroundings. Before Aramis could answer a wave of pain grounded both of them. Both were experiencing pain beyond imagination, skin tearing and muscles reshaping and expanding. Bones could be heard cracking the coming back together in formations that were huge but feather light. Power like no other entered both, but Aramis finally felt himself whole again and it was of great relief. The pain was too much for Harry and he blacked out.  
  
Harry blinked in the sunlight and let the warmth wrap around him. Stretching had never felt so good before.  
  
"Ah, so you are awake!" A deep rumbling voice laughed, Harry turned to see a large black dragon. A strangled yelp fell from his lips but the sound that was actually made was a small roar. Looking down at himself brought more shock. Black and silver scales covered him, a whip like tail curled around him and two leathery wings sprung fourth from his back.  
  
"What did you do to me?" Harry questioned and stood shakily on his new legs, only to topple over in a heap of claws and wings.  
  
"That is a long story." Aramis stated and stretched his wings to their fullest.  
  
"From the looks of it... we have a lot of time." Harry said and this time his attempt to stand was successful but not his attempt to take a step.  
  
"My name is Aramis. I was born in a time when most did not take on a surname, but late my descendants took the name Potter. Anyway I must now tell you my story. I was born like this," He motioned to his dragon body, "My parents were slain and my nest crushed but my egg was spared and was eventually found by a boy by the name of Porthos. He taught me right and wrong and how to live. Finally I decided to explore the world; I came upon a village that was under siege and knowing I could stop them I did. Turns out that someone thought hat the soldiers were protecting the village from me and so I was blamed for the deaths. Porthos and some guards caught up with me and he performed a spell that removed the dragon from my family for exactly one thousand years. At that point in time any of my living descendants would be transformed into the dragon but still be able to transform back into a human. You are the last Potter and since I still live, I will teach you." Aramis explained, "Oh I had almost forgotten, you were rather small before, but not that the dragon is once again in your blood you will find a rather different physique." Aramis stood then and began to walk through the forest.  
  
"Hey wait!" Harry yelled and bounded off after his only living relative.  
  
Harry stretched out in his dragon form, the sun glinting off his scales brightly. With a sigh he lifted his head and stretched his great black neck, linking scales straining with the effort. Getting up was an easy task, and soon he was standing and looking for his "father". Aramis had been gone for a few days, business he had said. The sky was clear except for a few stray clouds every now and again but no streamline form of the large black dragon, that Harry had come to consider his father. Even though Harry did miss everyone especially Sirius, he found that Aramis filled in for them.  
  
A rustle behind Harry made him snap around fangs bared and ready to fight. But what walked out of the brush was not something Harry was frightened of rather it made him calm down.  
  
"Thought I was going to attack you?" The female laughed, her long black hair blew slightly in the breeze, "Big Black still not back yet, huh?" She said as she looked up into the sky. Harry looked down at her, he still couldn't explain her. She was his age, 17, and pretty, but while most were scared of dragons she loved them and treated them at equals.  
  
Harry lowered his head tot the ground and she lightly scratched the delicate tip of his nose, he sighed in happiness.  
  
"Oh, I have some exciting news for you!" She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment that Harry knew to be a Hogwarts acceptance letter. Ever since we moved here, my dad has been trying to get me in. This means I'll be learning from the best." She patted Harry's muzzle while she reread the letter aloud to him. She sat there for awhile, leaning up against Harry letting the sun wash over her. Harry sighed and curled his silver and black tail around her as she fell into a deep slumber.  
  
"Harry, my boy, ah I see you have met Alana. She will be traveling with us to Hogwarts... Alana, wake up dear." Aramis shook the girl and she opened her eyes slowly.  
  
"Hello Aramis, did I introduce you to my friend? Well I don't really know his name because he can't really talk." Alana smiled at the man who had been staying with her family for three years.  
  
"Alana, I would like you to meet my son, Harry." Aramis introduced the large dragon, "Harry, go on, take your human form."  
  
Harry shuddered and let the dragon slip from him. Finally he stood in front of the two of them in all his glory. He was 6'2" with silky black hair; some of it fell in wisps over his eyes that were an emerald green. He was covered in muscles; strangely his ears had come to a point like his father's had (If you hadn't noticed I'm referring to Aramis as Harry's father because in a sense he is... this doesn't mean Harry has forgotten about James at all!). Alana felt a fluttering but when she looked into his eyes she felt a great sadness. Harry stood with a smile upon his face and grinned at Alana.  
  
"That's great about the Hogwarts letter. I couldn't really tell you before." Harry said and turned to Aramis who had a strange look on his face. 


End file.
